Compression stocks make my feet turn to ice?!

[StrawberrySwing]

I have postural orthostatic tachycardia, and dysautonomia. I'm always dizzy and it feels like everything in me plumets to my ankles when I stand but my feet don't swell much and are always cold. I was told to get some compression socks. First I tried some 20-30mm socks, my feet instantly went numb. So now I'm trying a pair of 8-15mm compression socks, at first they felt nice and firm, after almost two hours I was dizzy, and my upper body was kind of hot, while my feet turned to ice. I decided to take them off for a little while, when I stood up it felt like my head split open, my legs were pretty weak, and just felt like collapsing back onto the couch. Now I have a headache and it hurts sit up if I'm lying down, or stand if I'm already sitting.

This doesn't seem normal to me, but could I just be getting used to them?
Also, my blood volume has been a little low during both attempts with the socks. I'm still trying to adjust to drinking 3 liters of water a day and I'm not quite reaching that mark just yet(I'm used to drinking maybe 1 liter a day.) Should I try again once I've regulated my water intake? What are the socks supposed to feel like after you put them on and wear them a little while?

[POTSgirl85]

Are you eating plenty of salt as well?  In order for your body to retain the fluid you're drinking you need to eat plenty of salt.  I also agree that you need to be fitted for the stockings by a professional.  The medical grade stockings are by prescription, and they have to measure you to order the correct fit for you.

[StrawberrySwing]

Nope! I'm reading up on all the information I can get. After drinking a lot more water the stockings were doing better for a couple of days. After wearing them all day today, this evening my ankle hurts so bad I had to take some medicine and lay down.... So far I'm blaming it on my terrible foot circulation, because when I took off the socks that foot (left)was ICE cold. The other foot was a good bit warmer. I was driving when my left foot began to ache and I had it bent at an awkward angle, whereas my driving foot was mostly stretched out (on cruise control). Now I'm wondering if maybe 3 liters of water still isn't enough? Thanks for all the information though, and I'll definitely look into getting fitting by a certified person and toe-less stockings!

[Heiferly]

First off, I highly recommend getting your hands on a pair of toeless compression stockings. I've had the same problem you describe of my toes getting icy cold in compression hose. I've also found my feet getting extremely numb (even moreso than they normally are with the level of neuropathy I currently have) over the course of the day. I've just recently begun purchasing toeless compression stockings and I like them much better in that regard! The other option is something like Spanx that is footless, but they don't come in Rx graded compression, and insurance won't pay for them.

There is a FINE art to fitting compression stockings properly. If you are purchasing these yourself off the shelf or off a website without having them fitted by a certified (yes, ask if they are certified, it's a real thing) professional fitter, you're really short-changing yourself. Once you've been professionally fitted, and know your size in one or two favorite brands, then you can be free to buy them on your own with a little more peace of mind. But to start off I would definitely seek out a professional fitter at a medical supply store if you can find one near you!

We've had a LOT of conversations about compression stockings over the years so I'll try to dig up some old threads about compression hose and post those for you:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dysautonomia-Autonomic-Dysfunction/Compression-stockings/show/936330

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dysautonomia-Autonomic-Dysfunction/compression-stocking-issues/show/1690543

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dysautonomia-Autonomic-Dysfunction/Do-you-wear-compression-stockings/show/1147900

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dysautonomia-Autonomic-Dysfunction/Stop-compression-stockings-from-slipping-down/show/952869

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dysautonomia-Autonomic-Dysfunction/40-50-mmhg-custom-thigh-high-mediven-compression-stockings/show/1089708

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dysautonomia-Autonomic-Dysfunction/Compression-Stockings-again/show/1036779

Well, that's likely more than you ever wanted to know about compression hosiery, but hopefully this can help out anyone else who has questions about compression stockings as well.